Sometimes Mother Nature rolls out the welcome mat. And sometimes she clutches her secrets tight.

When it comes to what is now called the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park, the former is true.

According to the state parks website, the 90-mile trail stretches from Genesee Valley Park in Rochester to the Allegany County village of Cuba. It retraces the path of the former Genesee Valley Canal and the Rochester branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Now more than 50 years since the last train, the verdant corridor is a doorway to a much earlier New York. Here, the world is limited by how far you can travel on foot, two wheels or four legs.

While on vacation last week, I hiked a portion of the Greenway over two days. How far I walked is in dispute. I threw out my mileage numbers because of differing results between my Map My Walk app on my phone and my Fitbit fitness tracker. So all numbers are taken from the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway website.

As mentioned before, the path begins in Genesee Valley Park near the swimming pool off Elmwood Avenue on the west side of the river. The first two miles run between the Genesee River and the back side of businesses on the east side of Scottsville Road.

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The confluence of the Erie Canal and the Genesee River, looking east down the canal.(Photo: BILL WOLCOTT Staff photographer)

Between the paved path, sound of traffic and the roar of planes from the nearby airport, this is the phoniest portion of the Greenway. And it gets worse.

The Greenway turns to blacktop as you walk along the narrow shoulder on Scottsville Road and a partial sidewalk on Ballantyne Road. For the next mile, you get to dodge the conveniences of modern life: speeding cars, discarded fast food and broken beer bottles.

If you make it through that gauntlet without a trip to the ER, you can pick the trail back up as it heads south through Chili. At this point the trail alternates between a cinder/stone base or grass. Get ready to meet Mother Nature.

For the first two miles, the Greenway is encased in a tunnel of green as the path follows the old canal bed through a thick patch of woods.

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Mosquito alley in Chili. If you look closely, the light at the other end of this leafy tunnel is the exit. Run fast and you might not need a blood transfusion at the other end.(Photo: Bill Wolcott Staff photographer)

Water still pools in the canal, making the shady and windless spot a perfect nursery for mosquitos.

Unless you have bug repellent for blood, you might as well consign yourself to being a quart low of blood by the time you emerge from the woods to find yourself at the former Lock 2 on the Genesee Valley Canal. Built in the late 1830s, it's a remnant of the old stone locks that could be found along the waterway.

Now, all that remains are the stone sides like a dinosaur fossil that has been revealed by the elements.

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Lock 2 sits between two fields in Chili, a remnant to a bygone era.(Photo: Bill Wolcott Staff photographer)

For the next four miles, the Greenway either threads between fields or passes through copses of trees before entering Canawaugus Park in Scottsville. It's here where you cross Oatka Creek as it heads east toward a rendezvous with the Genesee River. And the Canal Street Boardwalk winds its way up toward the village's business district where weary day hikers can find sustenance.

The path exits Canawaugus Park and two miles south intersects with the Lehigh Valley Trail in the Livingston County town of Caledonia. If you made it this far, pat yourself on the back because you managed to walk from Rochester to just over the Monroe County line.

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I caught up to this guy outside Scottsville. He was too out of breath to give me a quote.(Photo: BILL WOLCOTT Staff photographer)

Signs and two towering railroad abutments mark the intersection of the Lehigh Valley and Greenway trails. According to a display on the side of the trail, this location was once known as Wadsworth Junction. Nothing remains.

The Lehigh Valley Trail ends a little way to the west as it hits West River Road. To the east, the Lehigh trail uses an old trestle bridge to cross the Genesee River and enter back into Monroe County where it will eventually connect with the Auburn Trail.

Besides repellent, sunblock, water, snacks and a cellphone, smart hikers should use a walking stick or hiking poles. Large pieces of gravel that could easily turn a hiker's ankle occasionally pop up on the old railroad bed. So the support of a stick or poles helps prevent nasty spills.

If you plan ahead, you can have someone pick you up on West River Road to the west. If not, then it's time to turn around and head back to your car. No one said this was going to be easy.